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"I'll stay until I'm tired.
In the meantime, Britain needs me,
I will never get tired."
(M. Thatcher)
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died in Great Britain, Reuters reports. The "Iron Lady" passed away at the age of 87. Flags on British government buildings are already flying at half-staff.
"It is a great loss as Mark and Carol Thatcher have announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died of natural causes as a result of a previous stroke this morning," a spokesman for the deceased told Sky News. As ITAR-TASS clarifies, Margaret Thatcher suffered a stroke. IN recent years she suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
Cameron is in Madrid, where he is consulting with the Spanish government on EU reform. From there he was supposed to fly to Paris, however, as Reuters reports, citing Cameron's official representative, the head of the cabinet decided to interrupt his trip. He will return to London in the next few hours.
A BBC correspondent reports that flowers are being brought to her home in London's Belgravia as a sign of respect for Thatcher's memory. Flags on the buildings of British government agencies are already at half-staff, Interfax reports.
Margaret Thatcher was the 71st Prime Minister of Great Britain, serving from 1979 to 1990, and was the first and only woman to lead a British government.
Recent years - the fight against senile dementia
Since 2002, Margaret Thatcher's health has deteriorated significantly, and she gradually retreated from public and political activity. Ten years ago, Thatcher suffered a series of small strokes and doctors advised her to stop public speaking, reports the BBC Russian Service.
The former prime minister's daughter, Carol Thatcher, published a book in 2008 in which she spoke about her mother's struggle with senile dementia.
Due to health reasons, the “Iron Lady” was unable to attend a gala dinner in honor of former prime ministers this summer, which Queen Elizabeth II gave in honor of her 60th anniversary on the throne.
Two years ago, Prime Minister David Cameron gave a reception at 10 Downing Street to celebrate Margaret Thatcher's 85th birthday, but she was also unable to attend.
Before Christmas it was reported that Margaret Thatcher was hospitalized and operated on to remove a bladder tumor. The operation was uncomplicated, Thatcher’s relatives reported that “the doctors are happy.”
Thatcher planned her exit
Representatives of Prime Minister Cameron said Margaret Thatcher asked not to have a state funeral for her. For several years, the British media wrote that Margaret Thatcher gave orders for her own funeral. Planning for the ceremony has been underway since 2007, as any event in which the Queen takes part requires advance preparation.
Thus, Thatcher wished that access to the coffin would be open only to her loved ones, specially invited persons and members of parliament. Those invited should include Queen Elizabeth II, members of the royal family, as well as major politicians era of her premiership.
The funeral service will take place at St Paul's Cathedral in London. According to Thatcher's last will, the orchestra would play selected works by the English composer Edward Elgar. Victory over Argentina in the 1982 Falklands conflict gives the former prime minister the right to be buried with military honors, but the baroness asked that the air squadron flyover be removed from the ceremony.
Thatcher will be buried in the Royal Hospital Cemetery in Chelsea, next to her husband Denis, who died in 2003.
The Iron Lady: how chemist Roberts became Prime Minister Thatcher
Margaret Roberts was born on October 13, 1925 in Grantham in the east of England. After school, she entered Sommersville College, Oxford University, where she did research in the field of practical chemistry.
In 1946 she became chairman of the Oxford University Conservative Party Association. After graduating from university, Roberts moved to Colchester in Essex, where she worked for BX Plastics.
In Colchester she joined the local Conservative Party association and became a representative of her university's Conservative Alumni Association.
Margaret married businessman Denis Thatcher in 1951, and two years later received a law degree and worked as a barrister for five years. In 1950, she ran for parliament for the first time, but her first attempt was unsuccessful. However, Thatcher attracted attention as the youngest candidate and the only woman running in the district.
In 1959, she once again campaigned for a parliamentary seat in the wealthy London suburb of Finchley and won. In 1961, Prime Minister Harold MacMillan recognized Thatcher's abilities and appointed her joint parliamentary secretary to the Department of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1967, Conservative leader Edward Heath appointed her Shadow Minister for Gas, Electricity and Nuclear Energy, and a little later Minister for Transport, Education and Science. When Heath became prime minister in 1970, Thatcher became the only female member of his cabinet, receiving the post of Minister of Education and Research.
When the Conservative Party suffered two defeats from Labor in 1974, amid declining public support for the party, Thatcher entered the race for the position of party chairman. In the 1975 election for chairman, Thatcher defeated Heath in the first round of voting. In the second round she defeated William Whitelaw, who was considered Heath's preferred successor, and officially became Chairman of the Conservative Party on 11 February 1975, appointing Whitelaw as her deputy.
According to biographers, it was then, and not during the years of premiership, that the nickname “Iron Lady” stuck to her. In 1976, Thatcher harshly criticized Soviet Union in one of his public appearances as head of the Conservatives. She said, in part: "The Russians are bent on world domination, and they are rapidly acquiring the funds necessary to establish themselves as the most powerful imperial state the world has ever seen. The men in the Soviet Politburo need not worry about rapid shifts in public opinion." . They chose guns instead of butter, while for us almost everything else is more important than guns." In response to this, the newspaper of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Red Star" called Thatcher the "iron lady". The Sunday Times newspaper translated this phrase as Iron Lady, and another translation into Russian resulted in “iron lady”.
Conservatives built their campaign promises around economic issues, proving the need for privatization and liberal reforms. They promised to fight inflation and weaken trade unions, since the strikes they organized were causing significant damage to the economy.
On May 3, 1979, the Conservatives won a landslide victory with 43.9%, and on May 4 Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain. In this post, Thatcher made vigorous efforts to reform the British economy and society as a whole.
Thanks to tough and unpopular measures in the economy and social sphere, the country managed to achieve stable economic growth. Foreign investment contributed to the modernization of production and increased competitiveness of manufactured products. At the same time, the Thatcher government managed to keep inflation at a very low level for a long time. In addition, by the end of the 1980s, thanks to the measures taken, the unemployment rate was significantly reduced.
In April 1982, the premier responded decisively to the Argentine army's invasion of the Falkland Islands by immediately sending a naval squadron to the archipelago. On June 14, Argentina capitulated.
In the 1983 parliamentary elections, Thatcher's Conservatives received the support of 42.43% of voters, while Labor received only 27.57% of the vote. In 1987, the Conservatives won again, receiving 42.3% of the vote to Labor's 30.83%.
Her foreign policy was aimed at strengthening the role of the United Kingdom on the world stage, which, in her opinion, had noticeably weakened during the years of the Labor leadership of the country. She found a close friend in US President Ronald Reagan, who shared many of her views on economics, and unexpectedly formed an alliance with Mikhail Gorbachev.
During her third prime ministerial term, Thatcher carried out a tax reform, the revenues from which went to the budgets of the authorities local government: Instead of a tax based on the nominal rental value of a house, a so-called "poll tax" was introduced, which had to be paid by every adult resident of each house.
Reforming the tax system became one of the most unpopular measures during Thatcher's premiership. Public discontent resulted in large demonstrations in London on March 31, 1990, in which about 70 thousand people took part. Demonstrations in Trafalgar Square eventually turned into riots, during which 113 people were injured and 340 people were arrested.
Opinion polls suggested that her popularity was below that of the Conservative Party. However, the self-confident Thatcher always insisted that she was not interested in various ratings, pointing to record support during the parliamentary elections. However, the ratings, as well as the prime minister’s belligerent personality and her disregard for the opinions of her colleagues, became the cause of disagreements within the Conservative Party, which eventually got rid of Margaret Thatcher.
At first, she intended to continue the fight to the bitter end in the second round of elections for party leader in 1990, but after consultations with the cabinet she decided to withdraw from the elections. After an audience with the Queen and a final speech in the House of Commons, Thatcher resigned as prime minister. She considered her removal from office to be a betrayal.
The position of Prime Minister of Great Britain and Chairman of the Conservative Party passed to John Major, under whose leadership the Conservative Party managed to win the 1992 parliamentary elections.
After leaving the post of Prime Minister, Thatcher served as Member of the House of Commons for Finchley for two years. In 1992, at the age of 66, she decided to leave parliament, which, in her opinion, gave her the opportunity to more openly express her opinions on certain events.
Thatcher received the title of Baroness of Kesteven (a place in her home county of Lincolnshire), and in 1995 - the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood in Great Britain, of which no more than 25 people, including the monarch, can be knights at any time. Only in 2001, when her health began to fail, Baroness Thatcher began to curtail her political activities.
Thatcher's premiership was the longest in the 20th century. For her supporters, she forever remained a political figure who was able to restore the British economy, deal a significant blow to trade unions and restore Britain's image as a world power. However, the unwillingness to compromise on fundamental issues made Thatcher a very controversial figure, and dissatisfaction with her policies and her management style led over time to rebellion even within the ranks of her own party.
Many believe that the quintessence of Margaret Thatcher's philosophy can be found in one magazine interview that she gave in 1987, writes the BBC Russian Service.
"I think we've gone through a period where too many people have been told, 'I have a problem and it's up to the government to deal with it,' or 'I have a problem, I should get the funds to deal with it,'" I’m homeless, the government should put me somewhere,” and they shifted their problems onto society, but who is society? It doesn’t exist! There is individual men and women, there are families, and no government can do anything without people, and people must think about themselves." "It is our duty to take care of ourselves and help take care of our neighbors," Margaret Thatcher said then.
Thatcher's role in Russian history
Margaret Thatcher is famous in Russia much more than other British political figures. And still in our country there are several myths associated with its name back in the days of the Soviet Union. Here are just a few of them.
When the third part of the Soviet television series about Sherlock Holmes was shown in Great Britain on the BBC, where Vasily Livanov starred in the role of the great detective, Thatcher, who watched this picture, stated in an interview with a British newspaper that of all that she had seen, “Russian Holmes is the most best".
At the end of the 80s, Thatcher, speaking about the economic prospects of the USSR, allegedly stated that “it is economically justifiable for 15 million people to live on the territory of the USSR.” However, historians cannot find this phrase in any documents.
But those documented facts related to Thatcher’s activities in relation to the USSR prove that her role and influence on our country are truly great. Relations between the USSR and the West in the 80s were extremely tense. And her personal attitude towards Soviet state was complex and contradictory.
For example, responding to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin in his greeting on the occasion of her assumption of the post of Prime Minister, Thatcher wrote that she shared his hopes for the development of relations between the countries, and even expressed England’s interest in developing economic ties with the USSR. But from the second half of 1979, a turn towards the Cold War began. The ratification of the Soviet-American SALT II treaty began to drag on. The Thatcher government began to express concerns that this treaty might weaken US guarantees regarding the security of Western Europe. And in the fall of 1979, Thatcher announced that one could only talk to the USSR from a position of strength.
The entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan only worsened this attitude of the British Prime Minister towards the USSR. The British government recalled the ambassador from Kabul, broke all ties with Afghanistan and called on members of the EEC and NATO to impose sanctions against the USSR, qualifying this as an act of aggression. On December 29, 1979, Thatcher sent an official protest to the leadership of the USSR, declaring a review of all relationships. Soviet-British cooperation was curtailed in all directions.
In London in 1981, Prime Minister Thatcher declared that the Soviet Union posed the "major threat" to the Western way of life.
The events in Poland in 1981 became the next stage in the breakdown of relations between Great Britain and the USSR. In April, Thatcher issued a “warning” to Moscow about a “possible invasion of Poland,” noting that it “would be a disaster for the Soviet Union as well as for Poland,” and NATO sanctions would follow immediately.
When General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Yuri Andropov proposed that the United States and the West agree to reduce medium-range missiles in Europe by about 25%, Thatcher reacted negatively to this, saying that England would not agree to this, and ruled out the possibility of Britain participating in the process of reducing strategic arms.
In early 1983, Thatcher advocated for the West to achieve military superiority over the USSR. Its government has set a course for the deployment of US cruise missiles in Western Europe.
In 1983, on Thatcher's initiative, the Congress of the International Democratic Union (IDU) was convened in London. In her opening speech, Thatcher called for the unity of anti-communist forces against the USSR.
However, under pressure from business circles in England, the Thatcher government still showed interest in developing trade and economic relations with the Soviet Union. In February 1984, Thatcher made the extraordinary decision to fly to Moscow to attend the funeral of Yuri Andropov and meet the new Soviet leader, although until that moment no British politician had even expressed condolences over his death.
At a meeting with the new General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Konstantin Chernenko, Margaret Thatcher stated that she wanted to build new relations with the USSR and made it clear that England had a very good relationship with the USA, and she herself - with Reagan, who listens to her opinion.
After Thatcher's visit to Moscow, there followed an invitation to England for a delegation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, led by member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev. After meeting with the future president of the USSR, Thatcher said: “I like him. We can deal with each other.” The results of this visit were assessed very highly in both Great Britain and the USSR; they opened a new phase in relations between the two countries.
In March 1985, Thatcher visited Moscow again to attend Chernenko’s funeral. Then she met with Gorbachev again. Soviet-British relations began to develop faster on a number of issues, in particular, on the elimination of chemical weapons, on the prevention of incidents at sea, on the settlement of financial and property claims, etc.
In March 1987, Thatcher was back in Moscow, where Gorbachev outlined to her the Soviet program for creating a system of global security, reducing and completely eliminating nuclear weapons. But Thatcher was always of the opinion that if there were no nuclear weapons, the world would be engulfed in world wars, and nuclear forces would deter enemies. Her expression, which has already become widespread, is widely known: “A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and much more dangerous for all of us.”
Also in 1987, Thatcher met with Gorbachev again, approving the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. She supported the “perestroika” announced by Gorbachev, considering it the collapse of the socialist system. But she continued to believe that the foreign policy of the USSR was aimed at weakening and dividing the West.
"Winged" expressions of Margaret Thatcher
Many phrases uttered by Margaret Thatcher are now widely known and have long become aphorisms.
- “Marx and Spencer” (a large retail chain in Britain) defeated Marx and Engels.
All men are weak, and gentlemen are the weakest.
90% of our worries are about things that will never happen.
To win a battle, you sometimes have to give it twice.
Without economic freedom there can be no other freedom.
The rooster may crow well, but the chicken still lays the eggs.
Politeness today is increasingly valued; impudence has no price at all.
You need to study your enemy well, then one day you can turn him into a friend.
When I form my impression of a person in the first 10 seconds, I very rarely change it.
A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and much more dangerous for all of us.
I'll stay until I'm tired. And as long as Britain needs me, I will never tire.
Democratic nations must learn to cut off the oxygen they need from terrorists.
If a woman shows character, they say about her: “Harmful woman.” If a man shows character, they say about him: “He is a good guy.”
A country's wealth is not necessarily built on its own natural resources, it is achievable even in their complete absence. The most important resource is people. The state just needs to create the basis for people’s talent to flourish.
There is only one way to be a leader: this is when the leader goes into voluntary slavery to the led, and not vice versa. If in his behavior even one hundredth of claims to any advantage or privilege appear over them, then sooner or later these 0.01 grow into suppression, despotism and tyranny.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died at the age of 88 in London. The cause of death was stroke.
Thatcher died 'peacefully after a stroke'
Thatcher died this morning. "Mark and Carol Thatcher have announced that their mother, Baroness Thatcher, has died peacefully following a stroke," said the former prime minister's spokesman, Lord Timothy Bell, and promised an extended statement later.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has interrupted his European tour due to the death of the Iron Lady. He will return to the country in the coming hours.
Flags at the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street are currently flying at half-staff.
According to the BBC, Thatcher will be buried with full honors. It will be like the Queen Mother's funeral ceremony. The service will take place in St Paul's Cathedral in the presence of a large number of people who ever met or worked with Thatcher. The body, according to her will, will be cremated.
Thatcher ordered her funeral two years before her death
Thatcher herself back in 2011, so that the funeral would be arranged as usual in such cases ceremonial events. The former prime minister asked that access to the coffin, displayed in Westminster Hall, be open only to her loved ones, special invitees and members of parliament. Among the guests should be Queen Elizabeth II, members of the royal family, as well as major political figures of the Thatcher era, including former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Giving orders for the farewell ceremony, Thatcher did not forget that during her time as prime minister, Great Britain defeated Argentina in the Falklands conflict of 1982. This military victory gave her the right to be buried with military honors, but the baroness also considered the flight of a military squadron unnecessary.
She asked for the funeral service to be held in St. Paul's Cathedral. The orchestra will play selected works by the English composer Edward Elgar. Thatcher will be buried in the cemetery of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, next to her husband, who died in 2003.
Age of the Iron Lady
The daughter of a small-town grocer, Margaret Thatcher graduated as a lawyer in 1954. In 1959 she became a member of the House of Commons, and from 1961 to 1964. worked as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and Social Security. In 1970 - 1974 Thatcher headed the Ministry of Education and Science in the cabinet of Edward Heath. In February 1975, she was elected leader of the Conservative Party. And in May 1979, she became the first (and currently only) woman to hold the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Thatcher spent 11 years as head of the British Cabinet, from 1979 to 1990. For her decisive actions and unwavering adherence to her chosen course, Thatcher was called the Iron Lady. The era when she carried out a number of tough political and economic reforms was called “Thatcherism”.
Thanks to Thatcher's will, Britain retained control of the Falkland Islands after Argentina attempted to occupy the disputed territory in 1982. Skillfully playing on the patriotic sentiments of the British, Thatcher brought her party a repeat victory in the elections in 1983.
Thatcher's third term as prime minister was difficult. In 1990, she voluntarily resigned "for the sake of party unity and the prospect of victory in the general elections." In 1992, Queen Elizabeth II gave Thatcher the title of Baroness.
Thatcher's health failed in recent years
Thatcher's health has recently raised serious concerns. In 2005, doctors banned her from speaking in public. The Iron Lady rarely attended public events; The last time she appeared in public was in September - at a speech by Benedict XVI, who paid an official visit to Great Britain.
Last year, the former prime minister was hospitalized with a broken arm after she fell at home. She had already been hospitalized several times before because of feeling unwell. In addition, according to the Iron Lady's daughter Carol, her mother suffered from dementia in recent years.
Last December, Thatcher underwent surgery to remove a small tumor on her bladder. She spent the entire Christmas holidays in the hospital and was discharged before the New Year.
Biography and episodes of life Margaret Thatcher. When born and died Thatcher, memorable places and dates of important events in her life. Politician Quotes, photos and videos.
Years of life of Margaret Thatcher:
born October 13, 1925, died April 8, 2013
Epitaph
Let the fire never go out
And the memory of that one will remain
What awakened hearts for life,
And now I have found eternal peace.
Biography
The whole world considered her the “Iron Lady,” but at home she remained a loving wife and mother, who lived with her husband in happy marriage until his death. She led the whole country, but every evening she certainly prepared dinner for her husband, never resorting to the services of a personal chef.
Margaret Thatcher met her future husband at the very beginning of her life political career- then she was still a graduate of Sommerville College and was engaged in research in the field of chemistry. It was Denis who helped Margaret become a member of the bar association, and then get a legal education. It was he who supported all her political aspirations. The entire biography of Margaret Thatcher is the story of a hard-working and purposeful woman, but perhaps it was the support of her loved ones that played a decisive role in her success.
At the age of 45, Thatcher was already Minister of Science and Education, but not all of her reforms found support in society. Nevertheless, she was able to win the 1979 elections and become Prime Minister of Great Britain, the first woman to hold this post. But, as it turned out, Margaret could rule the country no less harshly, or even more, than any man. For her firmness in defending her methods and views, she received the nickname “Iron Lady.” While society condemned her methods, Margaret led the country out of crisis and returned it to international authority. One of Thatcher's quotes is: “I'll stay until I'm tired. And as long as Britain needs me, I will never tire.” But nevertheless, in 1990, Margaret was forced to resign.
Thatcher outlived her husband by 10 years and died of a stroke, shortly after her operation. Thatcher died at the Ritz Hotel on April 8, 2013. Thatcher's funeral took place on April 17; she was buried in the cemetery of the military hospital in Chelsea, not far from her husband's grave. At the end of her life, the intelligent and powerful Thatcher suffered from dementia, but nevertheless she left behind a huge memory - the memory of an outstanding female politician. Thatcher's biography has been written many times, and many feature films and documentaries have been made about her.
Having children did not stop Margaret Thatcher from building a political career
Life line
October 13, 1925 Date of birth of Margaret Thatcher (nee Margaret Hilda Roberts).
1943-1947 Study at Sommerville College, Oxford University.
1951 The beginning of a political career.
December 1951 Marriage to Denis Thatcher.
1953 The birth of twins - daughter Carol and son Mark.
1970-1974 Minister of Education and Science.
May 4, 1979 Margaret Thatcher's victory in the elections, the beginning of her work as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
1985 Margaret Thatcher's visit to the USSR.
November 28, 1990 Margaret Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
June 26, 2003 Death of Thatcher's husband.
April 8, 2013 Date of death of Margaret Thatcher.
April 17, 20013 Funeral of Margaret Thatcher.
Memorable places
1. The house where Margaret Thatcher was born and where the Thatcher plaque is installed.
2. Sommerville College, Oxford University, where Margaret Thatcher graduated.
3. Residence of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, where Margaret Thatcher lived in 1979-1990.
4. The Ritz Hotel in London, where Margaret Thatcher died.
5. St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where Margaret Thatcher's funeral was held.
6. Cemetery of the Royal Military Hospital in Chelsea, where Margaret Thatcher is buried.
Episodes of life
During her time as Minister of Science and Education, Margaret Thatcher became famous for her reform to abolish the provision of free milk to schoolchildren from 7 to 11 years old. So Thatcher planned to cut spending on public schools. This caused great outrage in society, and Thatcher even received the nickname “milk stealer.” Later in her autobiography, Thatcher admitted: “I learned a valuable lesson. She incurred the maximum amount of political hatred for the minimum amount of political gain.”
Margaret Thatcher's husband was 11 years older than her and was already divorced at the time of his meeting with Margaret. Thatcher always said that without her husband's support she could not have achieved anything. “Being prime minister means always being alone. In a sense, this is how it should be: you cannot rule from the crowd. But with Denis by my side, I was never alone. This is the man. This is the husband. What a friend!” Their relationship always seemed ideal and, apparently, it was.
Margaret Thatcher was a happy wife and mother
Testaments
“The wealth of a country is not necessarily built on its own natural resources; it is achievable even in their complete absence. The most important resource is people. The state just needs to create the basis for people’s talent to flourish.”
“It is impossible to understand everyone unless you listen to everyone.”
Documentary film “Margaret Thatcher. Woman at War"
Condolences
“Today is truly a tragic day for our country. We have lost a great Prime Minister, a great leader and a capital Englishwoman. Her legacy is that she not only carried out her duties conscientiously, but also saved her country. And she did it with courage. People tens and perhaps even hundreds of years later will read about her actions and achievements. That’s what her legacy is.”
David Cameron, British Prime Minister
“She was an exceptional woman, unique in history, the only female minister. The ten years of her reign saw economic difficulties, decline, all the problems of the 70s and 80s, but she changed and transformed the atmosphere. And what happened next - the success of the subsequent government - it happened only thanks to her actions.”
Giscard d'Estaing, former president France
“With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost a great freedom fighter and America a true friend.”
Barack Obama, US President
“She was an innovative leader who contributed to peace and security, especially during the peak cold war. Margaret Thatcher not only demonstrated the ability to lead, but gave great hope to many women for gender equality in parliament. "Her talent has inspired people around the world to strive for peace, security and human rights."
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
Childhood and youth of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret was born on October 13, 1925 to Alfred and Beatrice Roberts. Father had two grocery stores, while leading an active social life. And in 1945 he became mayor of Grantham. In addition to Margaret, the Roberts family had another daughter, Muriel.At school, Margaret was known as a very gifted, and at the same time, sarcastic girl. These qualities earned her the nickname "Maggie Toothpick" from her classmates. In addition to her main classes, Margaret attended piano lessons, field hockey lessons, poetry courses and others. In 1943, Roberts entered Sommerville College, Oxford University, where he studied chemistry. During her studies, she worked on X-ray diffraction analysis of the antibiotic gramicidin S.
The beginning of Margaret Thatcher's political career
Margaret did not study chemistry for long. Soon after receiving her diploma, she plunged headlong into political and legal activities. Margaret stood in parliamentary elections for Dartford in 1950 and 1951. In both cases, the young politician lost, however, she was able to attract the attention of the press. All this time she was supported by her husband and parents. By the way, the latter helped her become a member of the Bar Association. The first specialization was taxation issues. 
Margaret Thatcher continued to fight for a seat in Parliament and in 1959 she managed to win and become a member of the House of Commons from the Conservative Party.
Political views of Margaret Thatcher
Thatcher often took a stand in opposition to the official party position. Thus, she proposed keeping taxes low in order to encourage more diligent work. In addition, she voted for the legalization of abortion and liberation from persecution of sexual minorities. 
In addition, Margaret advocated the preservation death penalty and against relaxations in the legislation on the procedure for divorce.
Political activity of Margaret Thatcher in adulthood
In 1970, Margaret Thatcher became Minister of Education and Science. Her very first steps in office caused a storm of criticism and indignation from representatives of the Labor Party. Because of her unpopular measures, Margaret became known as the Milk Thief.Margaret Thatcher on Russia
In 1975, Miss Thatcher led the Conservative Party. At the next election in 1979, the Conservatives won a landslide victory and Margaret became Prime Minister, the first woman to hold this post in Great Britain.
Premiership of Margaret Thatcher
The main goals of the new Prime Minister in office were the elimination of unemployment, the privatization of state-owned companies, and the reduction of the influence of trade unions. Initially, Margaret enjoyed enormous popularity among the population. However, financial instability and growing unemployment had a negative impact on Margaret Thatcher's image. 
However, this did not prevent her from winning the 1983 elections and entering a second term. During this period, Margaret Thatcher managed to stabilize the economy, and in 1987 she was re-elected for a third term.
At this time, her popularity was rapidly declining, in particular due to disagreements within the party. All this led to Margaret leaving her post in 1990. And in 1992 she left the House of Commons.
Margaret Thatcher and the USSR: biography and political views
Margaret Thatcher received the title of Baroness and a seat in the House of Lords.
Life of Margaret Thatcher after politics
After her “retirement”, Thatcher sat down to write her memoirs. She published two books, however, she did not turn out to be an “exemplary” pensioner. She regularly criticized certain political leaders, as well as NATO, supported the ideas of independence of Croatia and Slovenia. 
In 1998, Thatcher came out in support of Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet and personally visited him during his arrest. Margaret was honorary rector of several higher education institutions.
In the last years of her life, Thatcher expressed her doubts about the need for the existence of the European Union and even called on Great Britain to leave the community.
Death of Margaret Thatcher
In 2012, Margaret underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Her health deteriorated and her last stroke was fatal. Margaret Thatcher passed away on April 8, 2013. 
In 2007, Thatcher was erected a lifetime monument in the British Parliament.
Personal life of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret's marriage to Denis Thatcher, which they entered into in 1951, was widely considered an arrangement of convenience, at least on Margaret's part. It was with his assistance that Thatcher took her first steps up the political ladder. However, in response to spiteful critics, Margaret and Denis lived a long life together, raising two twin children - Mark and Carol. 
In the last years of her life, Thatcher was ill a lot, especially after she buried her husband in 2003.